Narrative:

I was informed that a child had a breathing problem and was in distress, just past the jan VOR. The flight attendant in charge requested the medical kit. I replied that we were 55 mins from dfw and overhead jan. The nurse who had volunteered to help, requested to be on the ground as soon as possible. The child had asthma and was aspirating blood. We asked for immediate descent to jan and declared an emergency. I informed flight control. We landed at 133000 pounds with a minimum descent rate, turned off the high speed of runway 15L and expedited to the gate. Emergency medical personnel met the approximately 2 yr child with down's syndrome. She was alert and conscious when she left the gate but obviously having a great difficulty breathing. We obtained a flight plan and awabs. We conferred with flight control and maintenance on the 133000 pound landing. We needed no inspection under 150000 pounds. We obtained oxygen bottles to bring us up to MEL requirements. Jan personnel put the air-conditioning truck hose on the brakes to get us below takeoff limits. We received a clearance from greenwood radio (tower was now closed). It was our understanding that the nurse had only used the stethoscope and that was returned. We put write- ups on the landing, medical kits, and oxygen in the logbook. While the medical kit is readily accessible, it does not go back in its hole in the cockpit very well. I had the flight attendant stow it in the galley. En route to dfw we reminded flight control to have maintenance meet us. We got a call back from the maintenance coordinator asking us if we had inventoried the contents of the medical kit. I replied a) I physically had not, B) the stethoscope was all I knew was used, and that C) FL260 at 320 KIAS after XA00 on an open radio channel, was no time to be fumbling with a medical kit. They had not raised the subject when we spoke on a conference call on the ground at jan. On arrival it was found that one syringe had been used to try to clear mucous from the child's airway (our needles are separate and had not been opened). The MEL, upon later scrutiny, requires a medical kit in the cockpit with some minimum contents. The exterior of the kit bears its full contents but not what the 'minimum' is. For the want of a 25 cent plastic syringe (sans needle), I could be found to be busting an far. I find the need for this NASA report and the whole situation to be a bit ludicrous! I promise to remember the medical kit contents in the future. I do not promise to be any less careful coordinating an emergency descent and unscheduled landing to save the life of a child. By the way I had an extra crew member in the jumpseat, an engineer from the B727. Our training in crew coordination put him in the loop. The first officer and the extra crew member were instrumental in the safe completion of this flight. We were able to obtain a clearance to descend, coordinate with both our flight control and jan operations, and make some kind of PA to the passenger by using everyone. Two sets of eyes crosschecked my descent and approach. There are a lot of places to make a fatal mistake in such a maneuver. ZME was most helpful as well as jan approach and tower.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THERE WAS A PAX ON BOARD IN DISTRESS, ASPIRATING BLOOD, AND A NURSE SAID SHE NEEDED TO GET TO THE HOSPITAL ASAP. AN EMER DSCNT AND LNDG WAS MADE. THE EMER MEDICAL KIT WAS USED. SUBSEQUENTLY, AFTER THE PAX WAS TAKEN CARE OF AND ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL THE ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITHOUT REPLACING THE CONTENTS TAKEN FROM THE EMER MEDICAL KIT AND THE KIT WAS NOT RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. THIS WAS A VIOLATION TO THE MEL.

Narrative: I WAS INFORMED THAT A CHILD HAD A BREATHING PROB AND WAS IN DISTRESS, JUST PAST THE JAN VOR. THE FLT ATTENDANT IN CHARGE REQUESTED THE MEDICAL KIT. I REPLIED THAT WE WERE 55 MINS FROM DFW AND OVERHEAD JAN. THE NURSE WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED TO HELP, REQUESTED TO BE ON THE GND ASAP. THE CHILD HAD ASTHMA AND WAS ASPIRATING BLOOD. WE ASKED FOR IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO JAN AND DECLARED AN EMER. I INFORMED FLT CTL. WE LANDED AT 133000 LBS WITH A MINIMUM DSCNT RATE, TURNED OFF THE HIGH SPD OF RWY 15L AND EXPEDITED TO THE GATE. EMER MEDICAL PERSONNEL MET THE APPROX 2 YR CHILD WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME. SHE WAS ALERT AND CONSCIOUS WHEN SHE LEFT THE GATE BUT OBVIOUSLY HAVING A GREAT DIFFICULTY BREATHING. WE OBTAINED A FLT PLAN AND AWABS. WE CONFERRED WITH FLT CTL AND MAINT ON THE 133000 LB LNDG. WE NEEDED NO INSPECTION UNDER 150000 LBS. WE OBTAINED OXYGEN BOTTLES TO BRING US UP TO MEL REQUIREMENTS. JAN PERSONNEL PUT THE AIR-CONDITIONING TRUCK HOSE ON THE BRAKES TO GET US BELOW TKOF LIMITS. WE RECEIVED A CLRNC FROM GREENWOOD RADIO (TWR WAS NOW CLOSED). IT WAS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NURSE HAD ONLY USED THE STETHOSCOPE AND THAT WAS RETURNED. WE PUT WRITE- UPS ON THE LNDG, MEDICAL KITS, AND OXYGEN IN THE LOGBOOK. WHILE THE MEDICAL KIT IS READILY ACCESSIBLE, IT DOES NOT GO BACK IN ITS HOLE IN THE COCKPIT VERY WELL. I HAD THE FLT ATTENDANT STOW IT IN THE GALLEY. ENRTE TO DFW WE REMINDED FLT CTL TO HAVE MAINT MEET US. WE GOT A CALL BACK FROM THE MAINT COORDINATOR ASKING US IF WE HAD INVENTORIED THE CONTENTS OF THE MEDICAL KIT. I REPLIED A) I PHYSICALLY HAD NOT, B) THE STETHOSCOPE WAS ALL I KNEW WAS USED, AND THAT C) FL260 AT 320 KIAS AFTER XA00 ON AN OPEN RADIO CHANNEL, WAS NO TIME TO BE FUMBLING WITH A MEDICAL KIT. THEY HAD NOT RAISED THE SUBJECT WHEN WE SPOKE ON A CONFERENCE CALL ON THE GND AT JAN. ON ARR IT WAS FOUND THAT ONE SYRINGE HAD BEEN USED TO TRY TO CLR MUCOUS FROM THE CHILD'S AIRWAY (OUR NEEDLES ARE SEPARATE AND HAD NOT BEEN OPENED). THE MEL, UPON LATER SCRUTINY, REQUIRES A MEDICAL KIT IN THE COCKPIT WITH SOME MINIMUM CONTENTS. THE EXTERIOR OF THE KIT BEARS ITS FULL CONTENTS BUT NOT WHAT THE 'MINIMUM' IS. FOR THE WANT OF A 25 CENT PLASTIC SYRINGE (SANS NEEDLE), I COULD BE FOUND TO BE BUSTING AN FAR. I FIND THE NEED FOR THIS NASA RPT AND THE WHOLE SIT TO BE A BIT LUDICROUS! I PROMISE TO REMEMBER THE MEDICAL KIT CONTENTS IN THE FUTURE. I DO NOT PROMISE TO BE ANY LESS CAREFUL COORDINATING AN EMER DSCNT AND UNSCHEDULED LNDG TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A CHILD. BY THE WAY I HAD AN EXTRA CREW MEMBER IN THE JUMPSEAT, AN ENGINEER FROM THE B727. OUR TRAINING IN CREW COORD PUT HIM IN THE LOOP. THE FO AND THE EXTRA CREW MEMBER WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE SAFE COMPLETION OF THIS FLT. WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN A CLRNC TO DSND, COORDINATE WITH BOTH OUR FLT CTL AND JAN OPS, AND MAKE SOME KIND OF PA TO THE PAX BY USING EVERYONE. TWO SETS OF EYES XCHKED MY DSCNT AND APCH. THERE ARE A LOT OF PLACES TO MAKE A FATAL MISTAKE IN SUCH A MANEUVER. ZME WAS MOST HELPFUL AS WELL AS JAN APCH AND TWR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.